Local teacher was on Pentagon plane

Terry Webster

Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2001 | 10:53 a.m.

Teachers and students at Palo Verde High School today began mourning the loss of teacher and co-worker Barbara Edwards, 58, who was aboard the hijacked jet that crashed Tuesday into the Pentagon. All aboard the plane were presumed dead.

Terrorists were blamed for the attack, as well as for two other hijacked planes that crashed into the World Trade Center towers in New York City and another hijacked jet that crashed in Pennsylvania Tuesday.

A foreign language teacher, Edwards taught both French and German at the school over the past four years, creating enough student interest to build a German program, Palo Verde Principal Theresa Smith said.

"To her credit she built a very strong program," Smith said, adding that Edwards took a special interest in her students through many clubs and activities.

"She was very active in the students' lives," Smith said.

At a faculty meeting this morning, Smith told Edwards' colleagues of her presumed death and led the staff in a moment of silence.

"Right now we are all feeling kind of blank," Smith said. "The teachers and students are just trying to grieve in their own way. We will be providing counseling and will be doing everything we can to help people get through this."

Edwards was one of the passengers aboard American Airlines flight 77, which was en route from Dulles International Airport in Washington to Los Angeles.

"She was a very active, outgoing and jovial person," said Ray Sellek, a friend of Edwards.

"She was always laughing -- the kind of person who really stood out in the crowd," he said.

Edwards was traveling with Sellek's brother-in-law and his wife, Bud and Dee Flagg, of Corona, Calif., who were also presumed dead. Flagg was a retired Navy admiral and pilot for American Airlines, Sellek said.

"He was still called upon by the military for technical advice," Sellek said, adding that Flagg also had an office at the Pentagon. "I can't imagine him being on that plane under those conditions. All of this is hard to imagine."

Dan Newburn, pastor of the Summerlin Community Baptist Church, said church members held a meeting last night to comfort friends and family. Edwards was a friend, he said.

"We've been talking a lot and crying and praying a lot," Newburn said. "That's about all you can do. And it's good to do."